Succulents and More™

Just a few days ago , I showed you photos of Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ in full bloom. Between two stems, there were 18 flowers. You can see most of them in this photo: Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ in all its glory After the peak, the flowers were fading fast, but everything was OK otherwise: Flowers fading fast You know where this is going, right? In a year of unpleasant surprises, here’s another one — and it’s one that hurts: What I found a couple of days after The tallest stem had snapped off towards the bottom, presumably because of the weight of the flowers. Not all is lost though. I made a clean cut and will re-root the top part. In warm weather, new roots should form within 4-6 weeks. With any luck, the re-rooted stem will flower normally next year. I’ll also leave the bottom part in the ground in hopes it will either branch or produce new offsets — more little ‘Flying Saucers’ to plant elsewhere in the garden or give away. And finally.... A quick update on the greenhouse rat sit...

A couple of days ago, the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society (SCSS) went on a field trip to the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory . I’ve been there many times before, but it’s been a while since my last visit and there were quite a few things I hadn’t seen before. That’s probably why I took so many photos — although I seem to take a lot of photos no matter what. According to their website , “The UC Davis Botanical Conservatory is home to a diverse collection of over 4,000 plant species from around the world, providing a unique space for education, research, and conservation. Our greenhouse showcases rare and unusual plants from tropical rainforests, arid deserts, and carnivorous habitats, offering visitors a hands-on experience with plant adaptations and biodiversity.” The Botanical Conservatory does a lot of outreach to UC Davis students (check out their webisodes here ), but I continue to be surprised by how many regular Davis residents don’t even know it exists — and that inclu...